Mica

Sheet-forming silicate minerals, split into heat-resistant insulators or ground into flakes for plaster, paint, drilling mud and cosmetics.

Industrial minerals · No. 68

• Not on a critical list

Mica splits into thin, transparent sheets that shrug off heat and electricity, and the best sheets are still trimmed by hand.

Chart: Illustration: Mica

Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Micas, mainly muscovite and phlogopite, are layered silicates. Sheet mica comes from pegmatites and is extracted and trimmed largely by hand; flake mica comes from schists and as a by-product of feldspar and kaolin.

Three things to know

1. The US imports 100% of its sheet mica, and China supplied 73% of it in 2021-24.
2. Madagascar's scrap and flake output fell from about 90,000 t in 2024 to 70,000 t in 2025, while China led with 85,000 t.
3. Ground mica sold for about $320/t dry and $350/t wet in 2025, while sheet splittings fetched about $1.80/kg.

The journey

1. 1 OrePegmatite, schist or by-product of feldspar
2. 2 SeparationHand-cobbing for sheet, flotation for flake
3. 3 Splitting or grindingThin sheets, or wet and dry grinding
4. 4 ProductsSplittings, mica paper, ground mica
5. 5 End usesElectrical insulation, joint compound, paint, drilling

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